The number of both commercial AM and commercial FMs stations in the United States continues to drop, bit by bit.
In the latest FCC totals, dated Sept. 30, AM signals dipped to 4,258. That’s down 42 from last quarter and represents a decline of 142 signals overall since September 2024.
Commercial FM stations also continued a recent downswing, dropping by 20 to 6,540. Ten of those came from one owner. This marks the seventh consecutive quarter of modest declines for commercial FMs, whose totals peaked in December 2019.
Here’s a 10-year interactive look we generated, straight from the FCC data, of station counts.
Some AMs that were cancelled during the last quarter include Cumulus Media’s KZAC(AM) in San Francisco, KARN(AM) in Little Rock, Ark., KFOG(AM) in Pine Bluff, Ark., and WGOC(AM) in Kingsport, Tenn., as well as Saga Communications’ WZAN(AM) in Portland, Me.
But as we’ve reported, noncommercial FM stations have either grown or held steady every quarter since Q1 2022. That upward trend continued in 2026’s Q3, though at a slower pace: Noncommercial FMs totaled 4,815 stations, up nine from last quarter.
One such instance in Florida’s Big Bend region involved Big Bend Heritage Music association’s WZRE(FM) move from an LPFM license on 99.3 to a 100-watt Class A noncom signal on 89.9.
FM translators and boosters also edged down by 20 since June. We await the impact of the noncommercial FM translator window, set to open next month.
LPFMs held steady at 2,013 stations, down one from last quarter.
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